Why Do You Need to Test Your MVP?

More often in today’s society of growing ‘entrepreneurs’, almost all are developing Minimum Viable Products MVPs that breathe life into their concepts. A shocking but true statistic reveals that 90% of startups fail. One big reason for this is the poor execution of a key tool in the startup world: the minimum viable product (MVP).

One of the reasons for this failure is the lack of tests conducted appropriately. In particular, if MVP testing is not done, startups cannot identify and eliminate significant problems that prevent their products’ success, which makes it possible for products to fail. This leads to failed startup products that do not capture and engage users, therefore, ending up in failure.

Developing an MVP helps the entrepreneur create a viable software application and get a proper market approach. Validation of the MVP avoids situations where one invests heavily in a product that cannot be sold or that cannot be developed within the understood technical limitations.

It is not just enough to create an MVP; it is also essential to have a plan to test the MVP. A company may have thought that the product filled the needs of the customers but the truth remains hidden until the MVP test has been carried out and proven right.

The facts are quite simple: when an MVP testing process lasts more than two weeks, there is an issue. In my experience, most startup product designers make these three common mistakes that lead to prolonged MVP testing times. In my experience, most startup product designers make these three common mistakes that lead to prolonged MVP testing times:

• Using an incorrect definition of the product value proposition.
• Ignoring potential problems in the design.
• Overloading the product with extra features.

Where do startups fail to achieve these crucial steps of the process, and why is this the case? I think that there are tendencies among startups to pursue goals that unintentionally create blind spots for these common mistakes.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the benefits of a minimal viable product (MVP) in detail, helping you understand why you need it and how to use your resources wisely. Read on to discover the advantages of MVP for startups.

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Understanding MVP Testing

MVP testing is defined as the ideas that are put into practice the first time business plans are implemented In this section of our blog, let’s discuss the key aspects of MVP testing. In case you are new to the concept, MVP, also known as Minimum Viable Product, is a product with enough features to attract early adopters and generate early revenue; the product is missing, however, features that are not critical to its existence.

MVP is a basic procedure in product development that develops a primary interface of a product to determine its performance in the market. It also serves to provide a feedback mechanism from the users to the developers and the entrepreneurs while incurring little cost. With testing services, you converge on the simplest functions that indicate to the user that the application meets their need and, more importantly, identify areas that require enhancements before the complete release of the product.

Now, let's take a closer look at the MVP process through the image provided. If you're unsure about what MVP testing involves, this visual will clarify the concept. The image contrasts two approaches: the Non-MVP (Waterfall) Approach and the MVP Agile approach.

In the Non-MVP (Waterfall) approach, the product is developed sequentially, which means that one activity is completed only when the next is started. The complete product is created before undertaking any test, which gives no room for changes depending on the users’ feedback during the initial stages. This method usually leads to costs being incurred for a product that does not meet the market standards, in case it is ever produced.

In contrast, the MVP Agile Approach is iterative. Here a minimum viable product with a first set of functionalities (MVP 1) is developed and implemented into the environment, sharing it with the users. Feedback from these tests is used to make improvements in the subsequent MVP versions (MVP 2, MVP 3, etc.). This cycle continues until the product is refined enough for a full launch. This approach ensures that each iteration is better aligned with user needs, reducing risks and increasing the chances of success in the market.

Breaking Down the MVP Agile Process

• MVP 1: The initial version is simple and focuses on core functionality.
• Test and Iterate: User feedback is gathered to make necessary adjustments.
• MVP 2 to MVP 4: Each subsequent version includes more features based on feedback from the previous iteration.
• Final Product: After multiple iterations, the final product is ready for launch, having been refined and validated through real-world testing.

This image perfectly illustrates how MVP testing enables iteration, and as a result, the final product is not only operable but also meets the user's expectations.

How MVP Testing Can Help Your Business?

Have you ever thought about how and why some firms or organizations spend years and millions of dollars on products, which leads to product failure in the market? This scenario is more common than you might think. MVP testing is crucial because it eliminates such costly errors since the product idea has to go through testing, including user testing and usability testing. 

Here's why MVP testing is crucial for your organization

1. Early Detection of Market Fit: MVP proved helpful in understanding if there is a sufficient market for your product before you go through the development of the whole product. The specification of the major functions of a product enables the assessment of the attraction of users and the relevance of a product concept with the help of MVP testing.
2. Accelerated Time-to-Market: MVP testing assists in getting your product to the market much faster. One is to be in a position to come up with a smaller and less feature-packed version first and be in a position to get feedback from the users. This way you can get in front of the competition and make them fall behind; you gain that advantage and can change with the market at a faster pace.
3. Efficient Use of Resources: It is always unwise and costly to come up with a complete product, knowing well that it has nothing that a target market needs. First of all, MVP testing helps to prioritize the resources, investing in only those features that the users will require. This approach helps to avoid wastage and makes your development budget be rightly spent.
4. Informed Feature Prioritization: If one examines the reactions that MVP testing users provide, one may determine which features are valuable to the target public. The data-oriented approach helps to reduce strategic confusion in the subsequent development activities in the sense that the subsequent improvement can be tested on usability to discover if it is in line with what the users want.
5. Stakeholder Confidence: The MVP testing assures stakeholders that people will derive perceived utility value from the finished product, hence more investment in the project.

In summary, MVP testing allows for maneuvering through all the challenges that come with the actual development of the product, making the journey easier for your business. They not only get to avoid the time and costs required in conducting new research but also improve the likelihood of coming up with the desired product.

Advantages of MVP Testing

In software testing, the MVP technique brings many benefits that include better test coverage, discovering potential errors, saving money, and saving time. Let's look at them in detail.

1. Improved Test Coverage: The last of the testing that goes into developing MVP or Minimum Viable Product, is a way to ensure that all critical functions have been tested. In that way, the testing period is likely to cover some aspects of the product since the primary characteristics receive extensive coverage.
2. Identifying Potential Errors: In MVP testing, it becomes possible to identify and eliminate possible mistakes at an early stage. It also helps to ensure that the fundamental functionalities are signed off before trying to expand on them and make them ‘bigger'—thus helping to reduce the impact of the bugs once they are found and giving an overall smoother development process.
3. Cost Effectiveness: Time and money, and MVP testing an affordable strategy for product development. So companies can embody, work on, and fix a product that actually will meet the needs of the market without having to invest fairly heavily to research and develop a product that doesn’t meet market needs. It’s like a small leak you fix before it becomes a flood.
4. Time-Saver: Time is incredibly valuable in product development. MVP testing can assist the teams in making more coordinated work during the initial stage of development.

This approach takes less time for developers and testers, keeping them away from fixing avoidable problems and instead focusing on the improvement of the product.

5 Effective MVP Testing Strategies

Now that you have brief knowledge about common mistakes and best practices for MVP testing, let's explore effective strategies to validate your MVP. These methods will help ensure your product meets user needs and succeeds in the market.

1. Conduct User Interviews:  A user testing interview is used to get direct feedback from potential users. This is useful to know the needs, wants and those small but critical pains or discomforts they feel that help dial down your MVP towards reality.
2. Utilize Surveys and Questionnaires: Fill out surveys or questionnaires for the larger population to get figures on the opinions and behaviors of the users. This approach gives statistical data to be used in refining MVP validation and affirming suppositions as well.
3. A/B Testing: Use A/B testing by having two of your MVPs with a difference of one or two elements. This approach helps make a direct comparison of usability testing outcomes and ascertain which of the versions offers a superior experience for the clients, hence assisting in bringing more effective choices to the product features and design.
4. Landing Page Testing: Design a landing page that focuses on the key aspects of the MVP and the benefits that the user will get. It also helps you track a level of interest by the number of people who subscribe, the number of clicks gained, and other parameters. This method is helpful to confirm demand before the complete conception of the product.
5. Monitor User Analytics:  Use analytics to monitor user behavior to determine how they are using your MVP. Review key metrics like the average session per user to formulate more strategies or to confirm the viability of the company’s product offering in the market.

By employing these strategies,  it is possible to effectively validate and fine-tune the MVP to satisfy user requirements as well as the likelihood of future success in the market.

Consider Alphabin Your Trusted Partner

If you are in search of a reputable company that will take care of all of the testing needs, look no further. Alphabin has been offering its range of comprehensive testing services for more than 8 years and can be backed up by numerous testimonials from satisfied clients.

Our dedicated team of professionals is skilled in the latest testing methodologies and tools, ensuring thorough and effective testing for all types of projects. Whether it's functional testing, performance testing, security testing, or usability testing, Alphabin is equipped to ensure your software is of the highest quality.

How Alphabin Excels in Testing

Before describing in detail how Alphabin can stand out in the testing phase, let me explain how our company can finish up your work and guarantee success. Our strategy is complete organisms that are perfectly tailored to the parameters of your project and guarantee high-quality outcomes.

• Adaptive Approach: To our knowledge, no two projects are alike; therefore, each is a distinct case. Our testing approach is dependent on the specific goal of the particular testing, which is under development.
• Leading Edge Tools: We also incorporate modern testing tools and frameworks to improve our testing activities. This means we can solve the most complicated challenges of testing regardless of the load that we have to handle.
• Proficient Team: Our team consists of experienced professionals in differing testing disciplines to provide an all-round service. Their knowledge and experience put them in a better place to offer high-quality testing services.
• Holistic Improvement: Of course, this learning can be continuous and unceasing, as it is one of the core values that we uphold. The members of our team always follow the industry trends and use the best practices in testing performance.
• Analytical Reports: We give out comprehensive test reports that give suggestions on what can be done. These reports assist you in comprehending difficulties and taking the right actions to enhance your software.
• Boundary Testing: Special attention should be paid to such intervals to guarantee the application’s correctness when working with general intervals.
• Integration Testing: Make sure that the different modules of your application integrate well.
• Network Testing: Ensure that your application behaves as expected in different conditions of the network.

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Final Thoughts

I believe that after reading this blog you got a clear idea regarding the definition of MVP and how to measure its performance. Of course, designing an MVP and testing it takes time and money, but it is crucial to consider it not a cost but an investment instead. Following this process is the build-measure-learn cycle, which can be used to fine-tune MVP until it adequately addresses the market needs. Just think about releasing a new product or a service and people don’t care about it; it is something every businessman tries to prevent. 

Here are several testing strategies with the help of which you can boost the functioning of your product, following the above-mentioned MVP techniques:

In case you have other questions related to testing your MVP or you need services from professional testers, you are free to contact Alphabin Automation Software Testing Services. Our knowledge in testing will help create confidence that your MVP is bug-free, easy to use, and ready for the market.